I was driving down the road the other day, when a song started playing that really caught my attention. I heard the song many time before; however, this time I saw it differently. The song, “Forever,” by rising Country Singer-Songwriter Danielle Lowe, appears on her recent debut album, “Off Limits.” The song is a love song, but while I was driving down the street a few days ago, I wasn’t seeing it as a song shared between a man and woman. I heard a few lyrics that made me think of our relationship with God.
The song talks about two that are “meant to be together,” and says that their “love will last forever.” God is our Creator, and therefore we are forever connected. We are “meant to be together.” This relationship began when He placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. As time progressed, Abraham was called a “friend.” God sacrificed His Son to redeem us from our sins, and allow us to have eternal life. It is so clear to see that we are “meant to be together” and that for us God has a “love (that) will last forever.” He simply wants us to love Him back.
The song continues by making reference to love whether they have “a million dollars” or “a few,” because it didn’t matter either way. We are told to not put focus on temporal items. Luke 12:31 of the New Living Translation states: “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and He will give you everything you need.”
What really stuck out the most was my favorite part of the song. This part of the song says, “Let your heart help you find your way. It’s simple, you don’t have to be afraid.” Too many times, people try to make it appear difficult to love God. Some will pile up tons of laws along with the Law, and make it appear as if God is too far beyond everything to be reached. The rules overshadow God to these people. There are others who would love to attend church or study their Bibles; however, people are telling them they must dress a certain way or act a particular way to participate.
In reality, though there is a Bible that consists of 66 books, and traditions that have been around for a long time, no one is perfect and no one is unable to approach God. Everyone is at a different level. There is no shame in speaking to God in a dirty, torn shirt. There is no shame in coming to God despite the fact that you haven’t memorized the Lord’s Prayer and the Creed, or because you missed last week’s church service or haven’t attended once.
The part of the lyrics that really stayed with me was that we “don’t have to be afraid.” Fear not. I love to slip that in everywhere. There’s a reason for it though. Too many times we get fearful. We worry. We doubt. Then Satan comes around the corner and creates some way to sneak through the cracks of our armor. Did you ever do a search and see how many times “fear not” or similar wording is found in the Bible? I can’t be certain, but when I did a search of it being exactly spelled out as “fear not,” Biblos.com came up with over a hundred mentions. This is not including different word usages and phrases that mean the same thing.
Why do we see so many “do not be afraid” and “fear not” phrases? Is it possible that God wants us to understand that we should not be afraid? That we have nothing to fear? That Satan has already been defeated? Fear not, be not afraid. You are “forever” in God’s hands– there is no better place to be.
Tania Gutekunst 